Drop-foot brace



` July 6, 1948.

, R. F. MARKKULA DROP-FOOT BRACE Filed July 21, 1945 'llIll/h M Rm .n OKm mM `m MM/ M ICI. M D mmf@ M 6 N Patented July 6, 1948 UNITED' sTATizsDROP-FOOT BRACE y Raymond F. Markkula, Los Angeles, Calif., as-

signor to American' Br partnership aces,v Oakland, Calif., a

Applicationoiulyzi, 1945, serial Nu. 606,35i

provide a brace arranged to be anchored to thev heel of a shoe and toengage a wearers leg for limiting 'movement of the Wearers foot.

Another object is to provide a brace which will substantially lockagainst movement in one direction about a pvot associated with theyankle of a wearer, and permit a limited resilient yielding movement inthe opposite direction as an aid to persons ailiicted with drop-foot.

Another object is to provide a brace which may be readily transferredfrom one shoe to another, and locked in operative relation to a selectedshoe.

Another object is to provide a'brace in which provision is made toprevent chaiiig of a wearers leg due to movement of t'he brace.

My invention possesses other objects land features of value, some ofwhich with the foregoing will be set forth in the following descriptionof the invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself tothe showing made by the said description and the drawings as I may adoptvariant forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Y

Figure l is a side elevation of applied to a shoe.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of t'he brace, detached from the shoe andsleeve. f

Figure 3 is an inner end elevation of the interengaging sleeve and pinportions of the brace mounting, drawn upon an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 isa fragmental side elevation, partly in section, of the innerend portions of the interlocking sleeve and pin, drawn upon an enlargedscale.

` In terms of broad inclusion, the drop-foot brace of my inventioncomprisesva heel piecedetachably anchored to the heel of a wearers shoe,and a pivoted extension extending upwardly from the heel piece alongt-he back of the wearers leg and having means for securing the brace tothe leg. The extension is resiliently yieldable in one direction aboutthe pivot, and is locked against movement beyond a predetermined pointin the the brace as lother direction.

In terms of greater detail, the drop-foot brace of my inventioncomprises a substantially L- shaped heel piece I having an upright backportion extending upwardly at the back of the heel and a bottom portion2 arranged to underlie the heel of a wearer. The back portion of theheel piece I is preferably made of bar metal of a suit-2v able weight,strength andresiliency, such as steel or spring lbrass,l while thebottom or vheel engaging'portion 2 is preferably a pin or rod ofcircular cross-section riveted, Welded or other-r Wise secured to theback portion I. The bottom portion is preferably arranged to bedetachably secured to the heel 4 of a shoe 3 by means of a" sleeve 5inset in a recess 6 formed inthe heel t' and opening outwardly aty theback thereof. A lip IIiis turned inwardly at the inner end of' thersleeve, to providey a key for effecting inter' locking engagement withan annular groove I'I formed in the pin adjacent its inrner end. Alongitudinal groove I8 permits the lip to enter the groove I'I when thepin moved into the sleeve with the groove I8 in registry with theflip'I6, the lip being held in the groove for locking the pin in the sleevewhen the pin is turned to move the groove I8 and lip I6 out ofalignment. Preferably the lip I6 and groove I8 are positioned to permitthe lip I 6 to enter the groove I8 when the brace is moved to asubstantially horizontal posi tion. so that the pin and sleeve will beeifectually interlocked when the brace is moved toits n'ormal uprightposition. A sleeve 5 may be provided in each of any number of shoes sothat the brace may be attached to whichevershoe the wearer may select.

n The pin 2 is freely rotatable within t'he sleeve 5, and permits thefoot yto be turned from side to side through an adequate rang-e ofvmovement about the ankle joint.

The upwardly extending back portion I of the heel piece is positionedimmediately in back of the heelportion of the shoe and terminates at apoint substantially opposite the ankle of a wearer. An extension 'I ispivoted to the upper end of the heel piece by meansv of a pivot joint 8arranged toY permit a limited relative movement of thepar'ts'in lonedirection, and to lock them against relative movement beyond apredetermined point in the opposite direction.

A leaf spring 9 is secured to one of the parts, preferably the extension1, by a screw IU or other suitable securing means. Clips II yieldablybind the leaves of the spring 9 together and to the heel piece andextension. The spring 9 normally holds the extension 'I in substantialalignment with the upright back portion I of the heel piece, and in aposition suc'h that a very small degree of pivotal movement will causethe heel piece to be locked against pivotal movement in a clockwisedirection as viewed in Figure 1 of the drawings.

WENT-y :OFFICE cated in dotted lines in Figure 1. The extension 5 'l andyoke i2 are shaped to conform to the dirnensionsof'fthe leggi andatocause' .the-flea'st dis--i comfort l'to the "wearer: -A buckled! strap|3is':` fixed to the yoke, and provides a band encircling tion of ashoe, means for securing the heel piece to the shoe, a brace pivotallyconnected to the heel piece and extending upwardly therefrom forengaging a wearers leg, a leaf spring secured to one of the pivotallyconnected parts and slidably connected to the other part at points uponoppositefsidesvof the pivot-xandfspacedtherefrom, said .pivotr'andspring providing ha lock :against movement about the pivot in onedirection and the leg near the top of the brace. "i lugvpermitting alimited yielding movement in the In order to accommodate thenormaLmovement of the wearers leg while walking, and atthe same timepermit the strap .i3-vto'befrmlyttighta ened onto the leg, Iprefertot-attachwthevyoke 1.

I2 to a post 2l slidably engaging a sleeve 22 se- 15 cured to andforming the upper..` end oLthe extension T. The post 2i slides upanddown with' in the sleeve 22 as the wearer walks, andwtakes up themovement resulting from the exing of theflegf and foot about the ankle`joint. 20

i' The v-brace 4.is designedv primarily `for wear by a-.personhandicapped byfwhat i'scommonly called dropefoot-P and who-lacks theability .to oon.-

v trol-.the movement of a foot about the ankle joint. l

When such' a person attemptsto Walk, the foot .25

swings -down loosely and drags along-the. ground, to the -serious`inconvenience of the person;

'The--brace ofthe'l present invention `serves to preventfth'edownwardhmovement of the xfoot.` Aslthe-wearer lifts the-footinwalking,thedown. 30

ward swinging@ movement is limited .by the. jointy 8?The--yokeflZ-fbears against-the-back oftthewearers leg-at fa substantialAr`distancel -above .the ankle; and the-curved endspftheyoke and the..strap l 3 prevent rlateral displacement-mf vthe eX- tensiorr 'lrelative-to the leg. As 'the-foot is raise.d itfis heldw-in a'substantially horizontal-position. The .spring-- 9 yieldinglyresists:pivota1--movement of ithe` heel-piece 7aboutvthe pivot-joint8,..and resilientlyreturns .theparts tonormal position afterdisplacement therefrom,v therebyl permitting. a limited7 flexing-.of thefoot aboutgthe. ankleA joint andtobviating: obj actionable` rigidity;

VIfclaim:

1.. AAdropffoot ,brace comprising...a,hee]..piece 45 havinglbottom-.and.hackt portions? angularly Vdisposedito approximatelyconformita .the heel por.- tion of a shoe, means forsecuringtheheel,pieceI tothe. shoe,4 aVA braee'pivotally. connected,..toVthe heelgpieceandf extending-.upwardly theref-romor.Yy engagingA avWearers leg, and a=leafspring-secured to one of the pivotallyconnected.lpartsamd:.exf-v tending 1into: slidable engagement .withV.the other partaatgpoints upon.-,opposite.,sides. of. the:` pivot-yandspacedtherefrom, said pivot andlspring. .pro- 5 viding. alockaagainst movementnabout-.the pivot inone direction and. permitting alimited. yielding. movement .in `the other.

241 .A..drop.footA brace comprising a heel l piece having .bottom and.backportions vangularly .dis 60' posedfto. approximately. conform to thevheel porr.ting-.rrelativeimm/'ement thereof as the wearer Walks-'1T 3.A dropefootrbrace comprising a bar shaped to .substantiallylconform tothe back of the heel 'andlowerportionfof the leg of a wearer, a pin 1mounted upon the lower end of the bar and rotatably engaging a recess inthe heel of the wearers shoe, interlockingly .engaging key .meansdetachably. securingthepin. in. rmzatalznlev engagement with the recess,and means upon vtheupper end or-the bar forlholding Vthe same in bracingy engagement with the back-.of the wearersleg.

4; Adrop-foot brace comprising a barshaped to substantially conform.tothe back ofthe heel and lowerportion oftheleg of a wearer, apinsecuredV to the lowerend of the bar at substantially right .anglesthereto, a.. sleevey securedV within thaheelpf the Avi/'eareifs shoe forengaging. the` pin, and .meansupon the upper end ofthe'bar for holdingthe same Vin bracingaengagement twith.

the back .of .the Wearers leg..

5. A drop-foot brace comprising .a rbar-shaped to substantially conformAto .the back .of the heel and `lower portion of the wleg of a.Wearer, apin secured. to the lower end of the bar lat-substan tially rightangles'thereto, a sleeve secured withinthe heel of -thel wearers shoevfor engaging. the pin, interengagingkey and groove means upon the pin.andsleeve for. releasably locking the brace to"` the shoe, andmeans-upon theupper end 'of the bari or holding thesame in bracing enfgagement with the back of the wearers leg.

RAYMOND TF. MARKKULA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofwrecord` in thelelfoffthis patent:v

UNITED STATES PATENTS

